A lived informatics model of personal informatics

Abstract

Current models of how people use personal informatics systems are largely based in behavior change goals. They do not adequately characterize the integration of self-tracking into everyday life by people with varying goals. We build upon prior work by embracing the perspective of <i>lived informatics</i> to propose a new model of personal informatics. We examine how lived informatics manifests in the habits of self-trackers across a variety of domains, first by surveying 105, 99, and 83 past and present trackers of physical activity, finances, and location and then by interviewing 22 trackers regarding their lived informatics experiences. We develop a model characterizing tracker processes of <i>deciding</i> to track and <i>selecting</i> a tool, elaborate on tool usage during <i>collection</i>, <i>integration</i>, and <i>reflection</i> as components of <i>tracking and acting</i>, and discuss the <i>lapsing</i> and potential <i>resuming</i> of tracking. We use our model to surface underexplored challenges in lived informatics, thus identifying future directions for personal informatics design and research.